Psionic the Hedgehog
by DarkeSword
Summary: An altiverse Sonic fic based on a pun of Sonic's name. Join in the adventures of Psionic the Hedgehog, Tales the Fox, and Knives the Echidna!
1. Psionic and Tales

Psionic the Hedgehog - Part I  
  
By Shariq Ansari aka DarkeSword  
  
Comments? Email me at darkesword@exphyl.com  
  
* * * * *  
  
Psionic the Hedgehog sat in lotus position at the very center of the   
pond, floating only slightly above the surface. His dark blue spines   
were bristled, and yet every muscle in his body was relaxed. His head   
was tilted back, his violet eyes staring up into the warm sunbeam that   
shone through the hole in the old temple's ceiling. Vines were   
everywhere in the Pond Room; they hung from the ceiling and they   
crawled up and down the grey stone pillars on which the entire history   
of the South Island was written.  
  
Psionic moved his gaze away from the light of the sunbeam and to each   
of these pillars, unconciously spinning in the air as he did so.  
  
"I am one of the last," he said aloud. His voice resonated in the Pond   
Room. His voice was not deep, but there was a calmness that gave his   
voice volume.  
  
He floated upward slightly and straightened his legs so that he was in   
a standing position. He looked down at the surface of the blue water.   
It was so clear that he could see straight to the bottom of the pond.   
He could see the beautiful, ancient mosaic, depicting the seven   
legendary chaos emeralds and the creation of the world.  
  
Psionic extended his gloved hands downward, his palms facing the   
surface of the clear pond.  
  
"And thus, I must become on of the strongest."  
  
Psionic lifted his head to face the sun and began to float upwards,   
towards the hole in the ceiling. But Psionic was not the only one   
rising. It seemed as though the water at the center of the pond was   
bending upwards, as if Psionic was pulling it up with him. No, he was   
not pulling it; he was only being a guide. The water was choosing to   
follow Psionic upwards. The water was choosing to form this strange   
liquid spire which was rising out of the temple.  
  
Standing on the roof, Psionic looked at the fruit of his labor. A   
clear blue, aquatic spire was poking through the hole of the ancient   
temple. Psionic smiled and leaped off the roof to the ground below,   
allowing himself to fall as slowly as a feather would. He entered the   
temple again and went to the Pond Room. There he saw a sight of great   
beauty.  
  
The water spire had caught the sunbeam and was now refracting the light   
all around the room. The sunbeam split into many and danced over the   
vines and stone pillars, illuminating everything.  
  
Psionic smiled.  
  
* * * * *  
  
Claire "Tales" Voyant was sitting in her workshop, located on Teller's   
Hill, the highest hill on South Island. Actually, the small cabin was   
built into the east side of Teller's Hill, for easier access to the   
minerals inside. Inside the workshop there were all sorts of different   
tools, machines, and equipment.  
  
Tales sat at the main bench working dillegently on recalibrating her   
chaos emerald detector. She got the nickname Tales when she was   
little, because she was always telling wild stories about ancient   
civilizations and long-dead people. She let the name stick because she   
didn't like her real name. It was such a stupid pun, and she never   
forgave her parents for it.  
  
Although she was by no means a rebellious girl. She loved her parents   
and decided she would be rebellious when she was a teenager. She was   
only an 11 year old vixen anyway.  
  
Her fur was a brownish-gold color, except on her belly, where it was   
white. She was wearing thin, wire-frame glasses over her blue eyes,   
and her fur kept falling in front of her face as she muttered techno-  
babble to herself.  
  
"Hmm...reverse the polarity...no...maybe the stabilizer...no...that's   
not it..."  
  
"Whatchya doin'?"  
  
Tales screamed and dropped her screwdriver. She spun around and saw a   
handsome young hedgehog, with long blue quills and deep violet eyes.   
He was wearing a white cloak and red sneakers.  
  
"Psionic! Don't you ever knock?!" she yelled.  
  
Psionic stood and thought about it for a while. "Well, I thought maybe   
I should, but then I realized that you might be doing something   
important, and I didn't want to disturb you, so I just phased through   
the door."  
  
Can't argue with that logic, she thought. "Oh. Well next time, just   
knock, then phase, so I know your here."  
  
"Got it," he said. "So, what're you working on now?"  
  
"I'm trying to recalibrate the CED, but I can't figure out if the   
polarity on the field-generator is incorrect or if the stabilizer is   
out of whack." She frowned. "Maybe the chaos drive is empty..."  
  
Psionic reached over and plucked the CED off the work bench, much to   
Tales' annoyance.  
  
"Hey! I--"  
  
"Shh!" Psionic held the CED in his hand. His eyes became luminescent   
for just a second. "You've just got your wires crossed."  
  
Tales was extremely annoyed. "Where?" she asked.  
  
He pointed. "Here."  
  
"There?"  
  
"Yeah, there."  
  
She glared at him and checked. Sure enough, the wires were crossed.   
She fixed it and turned the CED on. There was a confirmation beep that   
signified that everything was working. She sighed and turned around.   
There was a smile on her face. "Thanks Psionic. I've been working on   
that for hours."  
  
"No problem." Psionic paused for a minute. Then, his face lit up in   
realization. "Oh, I remember why I came! I convinced the water in the   
pond room to form the spire!"  
  
Tales smiled. "Oh, Psionic, that's great! Does that mean you passed   
the test?"  
  
Psionic beamed. "Yup. I've fully tapped into the Psychic-Chaos Field.   
Now I can communicate with the will of almost anything! It'll be a lot   
easier to get the chaos emeralds now."  
  
The CED went made a beeping sound. Tales look at Psionic and smiled.   
"Speaking of chaos emeralds..." She picked up the little device and   
looked at the display. "Hmm...its the blue emerald. The CED says its   
about 100 miles north...and 2 miles up?!" Tales ran to over to the map   
hanging on the wall. "Psionic, there's not even an island anywhere   
near 100 miles north of South Island. How could there be a chaos   
emerald floating 2 miles above the ocean?!"  
  
But Psionic wasn't listening. His eyes were closed and his quills were   
bristled. "Hmm...an island for the angels..."  
  
Tales looked puzzled. "What did you say?"  
  
Psionic opened his eyes. "Nothing. I think we should check this out.   
Let's go visit Espio down at the hangar and rent a plane."  
  
"N-Now?!" Tales was flustered. "Psionic! I have to tell my parents.   
I have to pack. I have to find someone to watch my experiments! 100   
miles is not exactly a trip to the village!"  
  
"Okay okay. I'll go reserve a plane for tomorrow." Psionic began to leave.  
  
Tales knotted her brow. "Espio's is closed today, Psionic. He's playing in the   
South Island Foozball Tournament."  
  
Psionic blinked. "That's today? Well, I'll meet you there tomorrow then. You   
know what to bring. See ya tomorrow, Tales!"  
  
"Bye, Psionic!"  
  
Psionic waved and phased out of the room.  
  
Tales walked back over to the map. "Two miles above the ocean?" 


	2. Fly Away!

Psionic the Hedgehog - Part II  
  
By Shariq Ansari aka DarkeSword  
  
Comments? Email me at darkesword@exphyl.com  
  
* * * * *  
  
Psionic and Tales stood impatiently in the main hangar of Espio's Rent-A-Plane.   
It was a huge enclosure, filled with planes of all sorts: biplanes, fighters,   
dropships, even a hot air balloon in the corner. There were a couple of   
mechanics around, working on the various aircraft.  
  
"Hey Espio! I'm waaaiiiiting!" Psionic tapped his foot impatiently. He was   
not to thrilled with being kept waiting at the desk for so long.  
  
"Hold your horses, Psi." Espio the Chameleon walked out of the back room and   
over to the metal counter. He was a young looking chameleon, maybe only 18,   
with a single horn on his forehead. His scales were a deep violet color, but   
they changed periodically with his emotion. Like a walking mood ring, Psionic   
once told him.  
  
"So, whaddaya need? he asked.  
  
Tales piped up. "A biplane. We're doing some emerald hunting and need to fly   
off the island to get to the first one."  
  
Espio laughed and turned orange. "Emerald hunting, eh? You guys never give up,   
do you?"  
  
Psionic smiled. "Nope. And we never will." He then leaned forward put a sly   
edge to his voice. "So whaddaya say, Espio? How about giving us a discount   
this time around?"  
  
Epsio smirked and turned blue. "Are you kidding me? After what you did to the   
Tornado? I'm still charging you extra for the repairs! I don't know what you   
two do out there, but my planes always come back wrecked. I don't even know why   
I still rent out to you."  
  
Tales pushed her slipping glasses back up her snout with her index finger.   
"Because we're your friends."  
  
Espio shook his head and sighed. "Yeah, that's probably it. Well, Psi, you   
need to sign here, and I need to see your pilot's license, Tales."  
  
Tales raised her eyebrows in panic. "But you've already seen it before! Why do   
I always have to do this?"  
  
Psionic smiled, knowing what was coming next. "C'mon Tales. It's routine,"   
said Espio.  
  
Tales grumbled. "Okay. FINE!" She reached into her bag, pulled out her   
license and slammed it on the table. "HERE!"  
  
Espio picked it up and looked at Tales' picture. He turned a bright orange   
color and started to laugh uncontrollably. Psionic laughed too, because he knew   
how much Tales hated the picture on her license, and also because she looked so   
funny in it.  
  
Tales, on the other hand, was steaming. "Alright, alright. Are you done?"  
  
Espio's laughter was subsiding now, and he was fading back into his deep purple   
color. "Yeah, hold on." He wiped a tear from his eye and copied the number on   
the license onto the form. "Okay, here."  
  
Tales snatched the license back from the chameleon and stuffed it in her back.   
Psionic could only smile. "So where's the biplane?" he asked.  
  
"Over here." Espio walked over to a plane that was covered with a tarp.   
"Behold, my friends! The Tornado II!" He grabbed and edge and pulled the tarp   
away, revealing a beautiful purple and gold biplane.  
  
Tales looked speechless. Psionic raised his brow. "It's pretty, Espio. But   
how does it fly?" he asked.  
  
Espio nodded. "Like a dream Psi. Like a dream."  
  
* * * * *  
  
"The CED says we're getting closer, Psionic." Tales looked around and turned   
the plane slightly to the left. There, she thought, Right on target.   
  
The sky was a beautiful blue color, with tiny clouds scattered everywhere. The   
sun was behind them. Tales was relieved about that. She hated flying with the   
sun in front of her. It was just so annoying.  
  
Tales checked her watch. They'd been flying for about an hour now, and she was   
getting hungry. She hadn't eaten anything since breakfast.  
  
"You should've packed a snack." Psionic was sitting on top of the upper wing,   
eating a candy bar.  
  
Tales looked at him angrily. Get outta my head, Psionic, she thought.  
  
"Okay, okay. No need to get angry." Psionic munched for a while and let the   
wind pass through his quills. "So what exactly are we suposed to be looking   
for, Tales? A blue emerald floating in the sky?"  
  
Tales pushed her glasses up. "You tell me. You're the the one with the link to   
the psycho-chaos field."  
  
Psionic frowned. "Well that's the thing. Everytime I tap into the field I get   
an image of an island floating in the sky. Last time I checked, islands don't   
float."  
  
Tales sighed. "Well then, I guess we'll just find out when we get there. The   
CED says that the point is just over the horizon."  
  
Tales looked out to the horizon. At first there was nothing, but then she saw a   
shimmering cloud approaching. "Psionic, do you see that?"  
  
"Yeah, I see it." Psionic was standing up now, his eyes glowing. "Tales, get   
ready to land."  
  
"LAND?! Land on what?! We're in the middle of the ocean!" Despite her   
arguement, she was already making preparations. She knew that when Psionic's   
eyes glowed, he wasn't kidding around. Then she heard him whisper.  
  
"Show yourself, Angel."  
  
A bright light shot out of the sparkling cloud in every direction. It looked   
like the entire thing exploded. Tales sheilded her eyes with her arm. When the   
light died Tales pulled her arm away and gasped.  
  
Floating above the ocean was a massive island. There were trees everywhere,   
with ancient ruins all around. Small rivers ran to the edge of the land mass,   
where the water would drop off in tiny waterfalls. In the center of the island   
was a giant volcano, which looked to be dormant.  
  
Tales rubbed her eyes, to make sure she wasn't hallucinating. "Psionic, do you   
see what I see?"  
  
Psionic smiled. "Yeah Tales. I see it. It's the Island of the Angels." 


	3. Up the Mountain, Down to the Ground

Psionic the Hedgehog - Part III  
  
By Shariq Ansari aka DarkeSword  
  
Comments? Email me at darkesword@exphyl.com  
  
* * * * *  
  
The south side of the volcano was nearly full vertical; a massive igneous slab   
smoothed out over thousands of years. It was a grayish black color, the color   
of long cooled lava. No lava had flowed out of this volcano for thousands of   
years. How could it? This island had been disconnected from the crust of the   
planet for millenia on end.  
  
Knives the Echidna was thinking about this, and many other things, as he climbed   
the south side, thrusting his two specially carved climbing knives into the side   
of the dormant volcano. Climbing helped Knives think. He had been alone ever   
since his parents had died.  
  
The entire Echidna civilization had mysteriously disappeared long ago, and his   
four grandparents had been the only surviving members of the noble species.   
Four teenagers with, inexplicably, no recollection of how the Echidnas had   
disappeared, only that something terrible had taken them from their families,   
their friends, their world.  
  
What it must have been like to lose that, thought Knives. I felt tremendous   
loss when Mother and Father died, but we lived alone our whole lives. To be   
taken from your lives, from society. To see your homes and cities completely   
empty.  
  
A chill ran up Knives' spine, and he started to climb faster. His knives were   
sliding into the igneous rock as if it were butter. He had carved these knives   
himself from that strange gold metal that was all around the island. His   
grandparents had found small gold-colored rings everywhere after the Echidnas   
disappeared, and they had found that when melted, they made an excellent   
material that could be used for mostly anything.  
  
Knives reached the top of the volcano and stood on the edge. He could see the   
entire north side of the island from here. He sighed. I never get enough of   
this view, he thought. He walked to the inner edge of the volcano and peered   
in. There was a whirlpool raging inside. Knives often came up hear to listen   
to the roar of the water, to feel its power. He sat back on the top of the   
dormant volcano and relaxed.  
  
But after a while, Knives began to hear a faint whirring sound in the   
distance...the high pitched whine of an engine. He looked up and saw, in the   
distance, a strange kind of mechanical bird-thing. It was descending much too   
quickly; he could tell that even from here. He stood up and looked out. What   
is that? he thought.  
  
The whirring was much louder now, and he could see smoke coming from the tail.   
The bird was basically falling at this point, and then, with a distant thump, it   
went down in the trees.  
  
Knives eyes widened. "I'd better check this out," he said. He put his knives   
in their sheathes, jumped from the top of the volcano, and began to glide   
towards the crash site.  
  
* * * * *  
  
Psionic woke with a start and felt a peculiar falling sensation. Only when he   
hit the ground did he realize that he had been falling. He lay on the ground   
for a moment, trying to think of something appropriate to say.  
  
"Ouch."  
  
He stood up, rubbing his bottom, and looked around to see where he was. He   
seemed to be in a clearing in a forest. There were trees everywhere, and he   
could hear a waterfall in the distance. The ground was covered with all kinds   
of flowers, and everywhere he looked, he saw green.  
  
Psionic looked himself over, making sure nothing was broken. Luckily, only his   
cloak was torn. He ran his hand through his spines and sighed as he checked his   
pouches, making sure nothing was gone or broken. Everything's alright, he   
thought.  
  
But there was still a nagging feeling in the back of his mind, as though   
something or someone was missing. He looked up and squinted; the sun was   
bright. Sheilding his eyes, he gasped.  
  
The Tornado II was stuck in a very high tree--or rather, it had become a part of   
the tree. The entire plane was mangled nearly beyond recognition. Psionic's   
eyes widened, and a single thought worked its way from his mind to his lips.  
  
"TALES!"  
  
He rocketed upwards, using his psychic ability to accentuate the strength of his   
jump. He kicked off of a few trees and continued to work his way towards the   
wreck. He already knew she wasn't there; he hadn't been able to sense her   
presence, but he had to make sure. He wanted to see with his eyes.  
  
Once he reached the wreak, a quick feeling of relief passed through him. He   
couldn't see any blood anywhere. Floating there in the air, he peered into the   
cockpit and saw something on the floor. He reached in and picked it up. They   
were Tales' glasses. The lenses were broken, and the frames were bent.  
  
Psionic began to descend slowly, holding the glasses. His eyes lit up and began   
to glow a deep purple. He was using the psychic-chaos field to see if he could   
locate Tales. He found something very faint; she was alive, but she wasn't   
concious, so he couldn't tell if she was hurt.   
  
He also felt the presence of someone else with her. There was a feeling of   
tranquility mixed with concern within this person. Psionic wasn't worried for   
Tales. He could feel that she was in good hands. Now he just had to find her.  
  
He touched down on the ground and put the broken glasses in a pocket in his   
cloak. Tales' presence was in the same direction as the noise from the   
waterfall, so Psionic started to walk towards the sound of the rushing water.   
He was at the edge of the clearing when a frightening realization overtook him.  
  
Looking back at the wreakage in the tree, he tried not to think about what Espio   
would do to him. 


	4. In Search of Psionic

Psionic the Hedgehog - Part IV  
  
By Shariq Ansari aka DarkeSword  
  
Comments? Email me at darkesword@exphyl.com  
  
* * * * *  
  
The forest was alive at night, the sounds of the night birds and crickets   
meshing with the distant roar of the volcano's whirlpool. There were tiny   
sparkles of golden light everywhere, making the trees shimmer in the darkness.  
  
Tales stood outside, on the platform of Knives the Echidna's tree-hut home,   
taking in the sight of the beautiful, dark forest. It was so strange. She   
still couldn't believe she was on an island that floated above the surface of   
the planet.  
  
"Here."  
  
Tales jumped and turned around. It was Knives, the Angel--or rather, Echidna--  
who had found her earlier that day. He was holding something in his hand. They   
looked like glasses; no, they were glasses.  
  
"Umm, thanks." She put them on. They didn't feel like hers, and they weren't   
perfect, but they took away some of the blurriness she had been experiencing all   
day. She turned and looked at Knives.   
  
He was a fearsome sight, with his red quills and dreadlocks, and the knives   
hanging all over his body. There was a white V on his chest, and which seemed   
match his nearly white eyes. When Tales had awakened and first seen him, she   
had screamed in alarm, but after he had explained how he had found her near her   
crashed "mechanical bird," she calmed down.  
  
She had also been surprised when she had seen him, because she had never seen   
anyone of his race before. He said he was an Echidna, but Tales had recognized   
him as a member of an ancient race that was only known before as the Angels.   
They were supposedly a highly advanced race who, through their acheivements in   
the arts, sciences, and spirituality, had earned the favor of a great spirit,   
who lifted them into the heavens, away from the savagery of the world.  
  
Who would have thought that they were still alive? wondered Tales.  
  
"What? What is it?" Knives asked.  
  
She snapped back to awareness. "Huh?" she said.  
  
Knives looked puzzled. "You were staring at me. Do I have something in my   
dreadlocks or something?" He started to check.  
  
Tales smiled and gave a little laugh. "No. I was just thinking, that's all.   
So, umm, where did you get these glasses?"  
  
Knives smiled faintly. "They belonged to my mother. Her eyesight wasn't so   
good, so Father made them for her." Knives looked like he was far away,   
remembering. He smiled then, and walked over to the edge of the platform.   
"C'mon. We should get going."  
  
"Where are we going?" Tales asked.  
  
Knives started doing some stretching exercises. "We're going to look for your   
friend, Psionic."   
  
Tales' ears perked up. "Oh great! Then you think he's still alive?"  
  
Knives reached to touch his toes. "Well, I have to admit that I didn't really   
look around for anyone else at the crash site. I just found you and decided I   
needed to get you somewhere safe right away. He might've been up in a tree or   
something for all we know."  
  
Tales was worried. "I hope you're right." She looked out again at all of the   
twinkling lights in the forest. "Hey Knives? What are all of those lights?"  
  
Knives smiled. "I'll show you while we look for Psionic. Come on, let's go."  
  
* * * * *  
  
"Who are you?"  
  
"Who do you think I am?"  
  
"You're Angel, aren't you?"  
  
"If that is what you wish to call me. I am what you and the girl seek."  
  
"The blue chaos emerald."  
  
"Yes, that is what I am. And what of you? You are the last of the Sentries,   
are you not?"  
  
"One of them."  
  
"Tell me: why are you and your friend searching for my sisters and me?"  
  
"It seems to me you already know."  
  
"My apologies. I did not mean to pry into your mind. It has been some time   
since I had need to block the thoughts of others."  
  
"Don't worry about it. I understand."  
  
"Of course you do. You are the last."  
  
"One of them, anyway."  
  
"Do not worry, she is safe. She is with my guardian."  
  
"I know. I just want to see her, that's all."  
  
"You wish to see many things, don't you, little hedgehog?"  
  
"I use my eyes to see the beauty of the world. Just because I can feel the   
wills of others doesn't mean I should become blind."  
  
"Well spoken, as expected. After all, you are the last."  
  
"No, just one of them."  
  
"Ah, yes. I understand now. My sisters are telling me of the others."  
  
"The others. You've found the others? Who are they? Where are they? What are   
they like?"  
  
"Patience, my little friend. You will meet them someday, perhaps without our   
help. After all you are the last, or rather, one of them."  
  
"I think you've got it now, Angel." 


	5. Psychic Conversations

Psionic the Hedgehog - Part V  
  
By Shariq Ansari aka DarkeSword  
  
Comments? Email me at darkesword@exphyl.com  
  
* * * * *  
  
They were in a stone temple. Knives had noticed a golden light coming from the   
ancient builing in the distance, so he and Tales decided to check it out. Vines   
crawled along the walls and pillars like snakes. They made their way through   
the temple, trying to find the source of light.  
  
They found Psionic floating in the air, above a circular pool of water, with   
dozens of glowing, golden rings drifting around his unconcious body. It was a   
surreal sight; the strange golden light of the rings on Psionic's blue quills   
and white cloak. His head was hanging back, and Tales thought that he looked as   
though he was hanging, as if someone had tied a string to his heart and pulled   
up.  
  
It was then that Tales noticed that this room looked exactly like the Pond Room   
of the temple back at South Island.  
  
She and Knives ran over to his slowly spinning body. I've never seen him do   
this while unconcious, thought Tales. What are those things, anyway?  
  
Knives walked over to Psionic briskly.  
  
Tales' ears perked up in alarm. "Uh, Knives, are you sure you want to do that?"  
  
He looked back at her and grinned. "Relax. There's nothing to worry about.   
The rings won't hurt him."  
  
His red dreadlocks were reflecting the golden light as he jumped out over the   
pond. Much to Tales' surprise, he began to float, as if gravity disappeared.   
He swam through the floating rings, grabbed Psionic's body, and pulled him back,   
away from the pool. Gravity returned, and Knives touched down on the ground   
gently, holding Psionic in his arms.  
  
The fierce echidna placed Psionic on the ground. "He doesn't look like he's   
hurt."  
  
Tales ran over and shook the unconcious hedgehog. "Wake up, Psionic!"  
  
The blue hedgehog stirred, opened his eyes, and sat up. "Tales! I found you!   
Hey! Where did you get those glasses?"   
  
Tales pushed the oversized glasses Knives had given her up her snout with her   
index finger and glared at Psionic through the huge lenses. "You dummy! You   
didn't find me! I found you!" That said, she gave him a big hug. "And I got   
these glasses from Knives."  
  
Psionic looked at the little vixen. "Knives? Who's Knives?"  
  
Knives cleared his throat. "Uh...that would be...uh...me."  
  
Psionic's eyes widened as he glanced up at the fierce looking echidna. "Whoa!"   
Psionic quickly phased behind Tales into a defensive position.  
  
Tales gave him a look. "Relax, Psionic. Knives wouldn't hurt anybody. In   
fact, he's the one who found me by the plane and took me back to his treehut."  
  
Psionic relaxed from his position. "So you're the one I sensed with Tales.   
Thanks for taking care of her." He held out his hand.  
  
Knives took it, shook it, and smiled. "Well, I have to confess that I didn't do   
much. She was unconcious, and I didn't know what to do, except take her back to   
my treehut. You see, I don't get many visitors on the island."  
  
Tales pushed the oversized glasses up her snout with her index finger. "That's   
probably because nobody knows that this island exists."  
  
Knives pondered for a moment. "This is also true."  
  
Tales turned back to Psionic. "So Psionic, what happened? Do you have any idea   
why you were floating above that pond in the middle of all those rings?"  
  
Psionic took a deep breath. "Well...uh...they sorta asked me to."  
  
Tales' ears perked up in surprise. "What?!"  
  
Psionic shrugged. "I know it sounds weird, but I was walking through the forest   
and saw a gold light coming from this temple. When I came in, I started hearing   
voices."  
  
Knives raised his brow skeptically. "Voices?"  
  
Psionic pointed to the rings. "Yeah, their voices. They were asking me to join   
them and talk to Angel. So I floated over the pond and let them link me to   
her."  
  
Tales noticed that Knives jumped when he heard that name. "Wait a minute! You   
actually talked to Angel?!"  
  
Psionic grinned sheepishly and ran his hand through his quills. "Uh...yeah, I   
guess I did!"  
  
Tales looked at the both of them. "Hold on! Who is Angel?!"  
  
Knives answered her, clearly excited. "Angel is the blue chaos emerald. She   
rests in the middle of the dormant volcano at the center of the island and   
teleports water from the sea into the volcano. That's where the water on this   
island comes from. She's been here since before my race disappeared. I've   
always known that she has a mind of her own--that's what Father always said, but   
I've never heard any stories where she actually TALKED to someone. I wonder if   
she knows what happened to my ancestors."  
  
Psionic shrugged. "She didn't mention anything, but she did say that Tales was   
with her Guardian. I'm pretty sure that's you."  
  
Tales saw that Knives was trembling with excitement. "Knives, are you okay?"  
  
It didn't look like Knives had heard her. He just started talking really fast.   
"She called me that?! Her Guardian?! That's incredible! I mean, sure, I'm the   
only echidna left on the island, but still, that's such an honor! Father,   
Mother, you'd be so proud of me!"  
  
Tales and Psionic both gave Knives puzzled looks. "Knives? What are you   
talking about?" Tales asked.  
  
Knives looked at them, realizing they were still there. He gave an embarrassed   
grin and scratched the back of his head. "I'm sorry. It's just...I'm so   
excited! Being chosen as Angel's Guardian is such an honor! It's the most   
important job an echidna can ever have!"  
  
Tales' ears perked up and she smiled. "That's great!"  
  
Psionic also smiled and gave Knives a thumbs up. "Way to go!"  
  
Tales was genuinely happy for her new friend, but then a startling realization   
hit her. "Psionic, how much of the Tornado II is left?"  
  
Psionic's face turned grave. "Let's just say that Espio's gonna be very ticked   
off."  
  
* * * * *  
  
Psionic, Tales, and Knives went back to the echidna's treehut for the night.   
Along the way, Psionic explained what Angel had told him about the Sentries to   
Tales and returned her broken glasses. Knives didn't really care what they were   
talking about; he was too excited about being named the blue emerald's Guardian.  
  
The next morning, after Psionic finished his meditation exercises, and the three   
had eaten breakfast, Psionic and Tales decided to go back to the crash site of   
the Tornado II to see if they could possibly save themselves from the wrath of   
Espio. Knives went with them so that they wouldn't get lost.  
  
After about 20 minutes, they finally found the clearing where Psionic had fallen   
and the tree on which the Tornado II was perched.  
  
Tales pushed her own taped-up glasses up her snout with her index finger. She   
had managed to fashion some new lenses in Knives' father's workshop. "How are   
we going to get it down?" She was leaning her head back as far as she could.   
  
Knives was standing next to her, also looking up. "I can't think of anything."  
  
Psionic smiled cockily. He knew exactly what to do. "Leave this to me." He   
walked right up to the giant tree and put his hand on the trunk. He tilted his   
head back slightly and started to stare past the tree, concentrating on the   
psychic-chaos field.   
  
He felt the strange warmth overtake his eyes as they began to glow in their   
violet radiance. The sounds of the forest died away, and he began to hear the   
stirring musical hum of the psychic-chaos field.  
  
Psionic moved his mind down his arm, into his hand, and through his fingers into   
the tree trunk. Something in the field opened, and Psionic knew that he had   
connected to the tree. The way was now open to have a psychic conversation.  
  
"Excuse me?" he asked.  
  
The tree "sounded" very much like the grumpy old fruit vendor in town back on   
South Island. "What? What is it? What do you want, you little   
whippersnapper?"  
  
Psionic tried to be polite as possible. "Yes...uh...well, sorry for disturbing   
you sir, but I was just wondering if you could put down that plane you're   
holding."  
  
The tree was clearly peeved. "You wake me up so that I can put down a plane   
that you and your friend crashed into me? You got a lot of nerve, sonny!   
Alright, I'll help you. But don't let this happen again! You got that?"  
  
Psionic smiled inwardly. "Yes sir. Thank you, sir." Psionic broke the link   
and backed away from the tree. As he did so, the tree seemed to bend over at   
the trunk. At this point, the top of the tree was at the ground. The tree   
moved its branches and set the wreckage of the Tornado II down on the ground.  
  
Psionic look back at his companions. Tales had her arms crossed, a smile on her   
face. Knives, on the other hand, was standing there, dumbfounded. "H-how did   
you g-get the tree to d-do that?"  
  
Psionic beamed. "I asked him." 


	6. A Call for Help

Psionic the Hedgehog - Part VI  
  
By Shariq Ansari aka DarkeSword  
  
Comments? Email me at darkesword@exphyl.com  
  
* * * * *  
  
"It seems as though the Sentry has met with the Guardian."  
  
"Yes."  
  
"You must choose a Keeper soon, so that your Proctorhood will be complete."  
  
"Do not rush me. I still need to find a proper candidate."  
  
"What about the vixen? Were you not considering her?"  
  
"She is too young."  
  
"She is intelligent."  
  
"She is still too young."  
  
"Do you forget Prower? He is as young as her."  
  
"Prower is of no concern to me. He lives on another world."  
  
"I still think that the girl will make a fine Keeper."  
  
"I did not ask you."  
  
"Since when do I need to be asked to voice my opinion?"  
  
"I will take your opinion into consideration. Now go away."  
  
"I knew you would listen to me."  
  
* * * * *  
  
Psionic was getting impatient. "We need to figure out a way to get off this   
island, Tales." The blue hedgehog quickly glanced over to Knives the Echidna,   
who was making lemonade. "No offense, Knives."  
  
Knives shrugged. "None taken."  
  
Psionic the Hedgehog, Claire "Tales" Voyant, and Knives the Echidna were sitting   
in Knives' tree hut, resting after trying to salvage anything that they could   
from the mangled Tornado II. It had been a tough job, trying to find anything   
that they could use, and all they had come up with was a broken-but-fixable   
radio, the CED, and Tales' stuff. Once they decided that there was nothing left   
to salvage, they hitched some strong vines to the wreckage and dragged the   
remains of Espio's biplane over to one of the utility sheds Knives had set up   
throughout the island. Once they finished that, they made their way back to   
Knives' tree hut to relax.  
  
Tales looked up from the broken radio she was trying to fix. "Maybe we can call   
someone...if I can get this stupid radio fixed!" She leaned back over the radio   
and pushed her slipping glasses back up her nose with her index finger,   
muttering to herself about "transmitter-frequencies" and "signal-decoders."  
  
Knives smiled and put a glass of lemonade down on the table in front of Tales.   
"Maybe you should talk to Angel. She could probably uh...tell you how to get   
home."  
  
Psionic's eyes flashed purple and his blue spines bristled with excitement.   
"That's a great idea! Angel would know what to do. After all, she's a Chaos   
Emerald!"  
  
"I got it!" Tales' yell startle both Psionic and Knives, the latter spilling   
his lemonade. "The radio works! We can call someone! Looks like we won't have   
to visit that Chaos Emerald after all!" Tales beamed, as Psionic and Knives   
gave her nervous smiles. Tales started fiddling with the dials on the radio.  
  
Psionic looked down at Knives, who was cleaning up his spilled lemonade. "Hey   
Psionic. Is she always this excitable?"  
  
Psionic laughed. "You'd be surprised. She's pretty calm right now."  
  
Tales finally found a signal that seemed to be clear. "Ah, there we go. Let's   
see if anyone is out there, shall we?" She giggled and picked up the   
microphone. "This is Sky-Vixen, calling any available aircraft, repeat, Sky-  
Vixen to any available aircraft."  
  
Psionic recognized the callsign Tales used when she was communicating with other   
planes. He also recognized the voice that responded to Tales' call. "This is   
Rose-Thorn. I read you loud and clear, Sky-Vixen."  
  
Tales' face lit up while Psionic felt his face turn red. "Ellie Rose!"  
  
Knives was putting the glasses in the sink, the blades hanging on his wrist   
tapping against the wooden counter. "Who is Ellie Rose?"  
  
Psionic coughed. "She's uh...a friend of ours. A cargo pilot. She flies   
shipments of chocolate from South Island to other the other islands."  
  
Tales looked up from the radio with an evil grin on her face. "She's also   
Psionic's girlfriend."  
  
Psionic's eyes flashed a bright violet and his quills bristled up. "She's not   
my girlfriend! She's just a...friend." Psionic could faintly feel Ellie's   
presence through the psycho-chaos field now. He could almost see her; her cute   
pink quills, her warm smile, her musical laugh, and best of all, those deep blue   
eyes, deeper than the color of his own quills, the eyes that he didn't dare try   
to read, lest he lose himself in them forever.  
  
Knives' hearty laughter broke Psionic from his reverie, his hanging blades   
jingling against eachother. "I get it! You have a crush on her, don't you?"  
  
Psionic gave the fierce echidna an icy stare. "You know, for a guy who lives   
alone, you sure know a lot about people."  
  
Knives gave Psionic a big, toothy grin and shrugged.  
  
The female voice spoke again through the static, and Tales twisted some dials to   
fix the signal. "Tales? Is that really you? How are you?"  
  
Tales laughed. "We're in some trouble, actually."  
  
Ellie's voice laughed the musical laugh that Psionic loved so much. "We? Let   
me guess, Psionic's there with you? Hi Psi!"  
  
Psionic felt himself go as red as Knives, who was trying hard not to laugh.   
"Uh...Hi Ellie!"  
  
Tales giggled silently at her hedgehog companion and turned her attention back   
to the radio. "Anyway, you're never gonna believe what happened to us, Ellie."  
  
Ellie laughed again. "Listen Tales, if Psionic's involved, I'll believe   
anything."  
  
Psionic scratched the back of his head, smiled sheepishly, and felt himself go   
red once again. 


End file.
